The invention relates to a control device for a contactor.
More precisely, it relates to a control device comprising a control key mounted pivoting on a support, at least one contactor arranged facing a region of the key offset relative to its axis of articulation, and an elongate tie bar, the opposite ends of which co-operate respectively with one contactor and with the said region of the corresponding key. It can be used especially but not exclusively to drive a scrolling menu which allows appliances in a motor vehicle to be controlled.
Control devices of this type are already known. They have a key mounted so as to rock on an intermediate plate arranged between the front face of the casing and a printed circuit board. The rocker key acts on one or more tie bars guided in the intermediate plate. Each of these tie bars actuates one contact of a push button mounted on the printed circuit board.
This device has a number of disadvantages. The number of parts is significant and assembly is time-consuming and intricate.
Embodiments of the present invention may at least partially remedy these disadvantages.
The present invention proposes a control device which has a reduced number of parts and can be assembled rapidly and easily.
To this end, the tie bar forms part of a transmitter formed in one piece and furthermore comprising a supporting structure arranged facing the key and mounted in a fixed manner with respect to the contactor, the tie bar being connected to the supporting structure by at least one flexible arm, which allows it to be displaced substantially parallel to the structure so as to transmit to the contactor a pressure exerted on the key.
The transmitter thus constitutes a piece formed in a single unit which includes one or more tie bars and the means for guiding these tie bars. It can be fitted very easily, simply by placing it on a printed circuit board having one or more contactors, for example.
The supporting structure of the transmitter preferably serves as a support and a pivot for the control key.
By virtue of this characteristic, the intermediate plate which, in the prior art, served as a pivot or hinge for the control key, can be dispensed with. The number of parts is thus reduced even further.
The key preferably has a flared seat which receives part of the supporting structure, which forms a pivot for the key.
The control device advantageously comprises a casing having a front face comprising a flared seat, which receives an articulation surface of the key. This front face has grooves and the supporting structure has sliding surfaces, which are accommodated in the said grooves.
According to a particular embodiment, the supporting structure is in the form of a T formed by an upright and a transverse beam. The supporting structure can have a stepped part at each of its ends, each stepped portion comprising a lower step, which forms a pivot for the key, and an upper step. The upper steps of the stepped portions advantageously form sliding surfaces which engage in the grooves in the front of the casing.
In one embodiment, the tie bar is connected to the supporting structure by two flexible arms, defining a deformable parallelogram. In another embodiment, the tie bar is connected to the supporting structure by a single flexible arm, one end of the tie bar cooperating with the contactor by nesting with it.
The transmitter is advantageously made from a transparent material. This arrangement makes it easier to illuminate the key by means of a light source, allowing it to be identified easily in the dark.
Finally, the invention relates to a transmitter suitable for forming part of a control device as defined above, comprising a supporting structure and at least one elongate tie bar connected to the supporting structure by at least one flexible arm.